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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · sharp · ball · wind · rule · ground · mate · wave

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rule — government
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rule — a law
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com